Most successful Pokémon video games worldwide 2024

With a global sales volume of over 31.38 million units, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue was the franchise’s best-selling video game worldwide as of March 2024. The first full Pokémon game release on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon Sword/Shield, came in second place with 26.27 million units. Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, the most recent series entry for Nintendo's current Switch console, has sold approximately 24.92 million units worldwide.

Pokémon: a global success story

Pokémon is an immensely popular Japanese video gaming series published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, centering around an ever-expanding universe of fictional creatures that players can collect, train, and battle. Since launching its first generation of console games on Nintendo’s Game Boy back in 1996, Pokémon has grown to become one of the world’s most successful gaming franchises with over 480 million Pokémon games sold as of May 2023. Pokémon is also one of the most persistent brand names in the gaming industry, with its Red/Green/Blue Version placing among the five best-selling console games of all time in 2021 - 25 years after its release.

Venturing into the mobile games market

While Pokémon has been a household name for console gaming for several decades, the franchise ventured into the world of mobile gaming for the first time in 2016. With the launch of Pokémon GO, a location-based augmented reality (AR) mobile version of the original hit gaming series, the franchise adapted to the latest trends in the video game market that center around the growing popularity and profitability of mobile games. Pokémon GO is one of the top-grossing mobile gaming titles worldwide.